On Thursday, April 9 at 7 p.m., science educator Bill Nye visited the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts to discuss various topics with Pittsburg State president, Dr. Thomas Newsom. Nye gained popularity through his popular educational ‘90s show “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” and currently serves as The Planetary Society’s chief ambassador. Topics discussed included climate change, science education, and the recent moon mission, Artemis II.
Prior to his conversation with Dr. Newsom, Nye answered questions from a panel of students, followed by questions from local media outlets. In this discussion, he expressed the main takeaway he wanted people to have.
“Well, my thing nowadays is called critical thinking. The ability, rather, the habit of mind to evaluate evidence. Don’t take somebody’s word for everything.” He added, “On the other hand, there are experts. There are well-documented so-called justified true beliefs. And so, we want people to be able to think for you. It’s never been more important.”
Nye also expressed the importance of discussing these issues with college-aged students.
“College kids- I found this out- College kids are in the future. Wow, I didn’t know that! So, it’s really good to talk to them. I got the impression that everybody’s a little worried. Like, what’s happening with the world, with the economy, the economy changing. Everybody is a little anxious. So, it’s always good to remind people about it and everybody’s been anxious for a long time. But it was a very anxious time. So, they’re the future.”
He emphasized voting as one of the best ways to make a difference. “They got to get out there and vote, I mentioned voting. Vote!”
He also discussed the importance of fostering curiosity among young people.
“Well, curiosity is what keeps me going. And everybody starts out curious. You talk to anybody who’s three or four years old, five, six years old. All they do is ask questions about the world. And so, life gets complicated. There’s a lot going on, but yes, one wants to stay curious.”
He accredited this belief to the creation of “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
“Yes, it’s fun to stay curious. So how do we cultivate that? Well, that was really, I’d say that was a big part of the science guy show. Kind of cultivate that.” He added, “We had this very compelling research back in the 20th century that 10 years old is as old as you can be to get this so-called lifelong passion for science. So that’s why the show is aimed at people that old.”
He also explained why he thought the community should care about the topics being discussed that night, saying, “Why wouldn’t you care about science education, climate change, about discovering life in another world, about aerodynamics of frisbees? What’s more fun than that, people?”
Nye recently released a new book, “Bill Nye’s Great Big World of Science.” Signed copies of the book were available in the lobby outside of the event. He added that he’s working on a new science show, “Bill’s House.”
Savannah Grotheer, a sophomore majoring in biology and chemistry, was especially excited to see Bill Nye speak. She came dressed in her chemistry gear holding up a large sign that said, “I heart Bill Nye.” Nye noticed her sign, and Grotheer had the opportunity to meet him backstage.
When Grotheer found out about the event, she knew she had to make it special.
“I was like, oh my God, I have to go. But I had to be extra about it, of course, because, it’s Bill Nye. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I can’t pass it up. So, I went and bought tickets like the day that I found out he was coming, because I couldn’t miss an opportunity.”
Her love for science was heavily influenced by Nye’s show.
“I literally hated science as a kid. I was like, this is so stupid and boring and dumb. But then I, like, grew up and I was like, wait; this is kind of interesting. And so, then I learned to appreciate it through him.”
Wesley Reed, a junior communications major, was inspired by Nye’s presentation. He learned “just to care more about everything going on, the environment.”
Regarding how he wants to be remembered by the people who grew up with his show, Nye said, “You guys remember me, and the message, the optimistic view of the future through science. That’s what we want. That’s the objective of the science guy show.”